Wednesday
April 16, 2003
Vol. 113. Issue No. 135
Today's weather
70°
Tonight: 40°
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Contact Kristi Henderson, Jenna
Goepfert or Justin Henning at
864-1010 info@usnews.com
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN World's top athletes compete in 76th annual Kansas Relays
p. 3B
Team parade canceled
Roy Williams' departure leads players to stop event
By Erin Ohm eohm@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
The loss of men's basketball coach Roy Williams was more effective than the possible bad weather in helping Kansas basketball players decide to cancel a parade that was scheduled for tomorrow in downtown Lawrence.
Peggy Johnson, Lawrence business
owner and parade organizer, said team members agreed in a meeting late last night that they did not want to have the parade based on the circumstances. The parade, which will not be rescheduled, was to have honored Williams and the team for their national runner-up title.
Kathleen Sebelius was going to be in Lawrence for the parade, Johnson said.
The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce helped organize the parade, which would have included the team and coaches, bands and floats. Gov.
The chamber and the University of Kansas organize a parade for the men's basketball team each time the team makes it to the Final Four or beyond. She said she received numerous calls yesterday from Kansas fans expressing support for the team.
"We've had a ton of calls from people that were sorry the boys didn't want a parade because they really wanted to celebrate a great, great season." Johnson said.
Larry Showalter, Ingalls senior, said he thought the parade should still be held.
"We're celebrating the players and
what they achieved in the basketball season, not just Roy," Showalter said. "The focus should be on the players now."
The basketball awards ceremony planned by the Williams Fund of the KU Athletic Corporation will still be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the Lied Center. The public is welcome to attend the event.
Mitch Germann, director of media relations at KUAC, said Williams would be attending the banquet.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $5, with a purchase limit of four tickets. Tickets can be picked up at the Williams Fund office, 105 Parrot Athletic Center.
Edited by Julie Jantzer
Photo illustration by Scott Reynolds/Kansan
Local businesses such as the Salty Iguana and Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar are leaving Roy Williams memorabilia up on their walls for now.
Roy leaves traces everywhere
Coach's leaving affects Lawrence businesses, sales
By Lauren Bristow
lbristow@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
After Roy Williams announced his decision Monday night to leave the University of Kansas and the Lawrence community, area businesses prepared for the change.
Local businesses had to make decisions regarding Williams memorabilia and other lingering reminders at their establishments.
"We're going to have a contest to rename the Roy sandwich," said James Langford, owner of Mojo's, 714 Vermont St. "We can't have it named after the coach of North Carolina."
While waiting for a new name, the sandwich is called the Carolina Pulled Pork, Langford said.
Other area establishments including
the Salty Iguana, 4931 W. Sixth St., and Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 2520 Iowa St., have decided to leave memorabilia hanging for the time being.
A representative from Applebee's said that the restaurant had one photograph of Williams hanging on the wall and it would be staying.
"We have his signature painted on the wall," said Mary Rellihan, a Salty Iguana bartender. "For the time being we're going to leave it up. It's part of the mural."
Pohl and Kent Dobbins, 831 Vermont St., decided to pull its Sunflower Cablevision commercial that featured Williams.
The office of optometrists Charles
"There is just too much hurt," said Mickie Nodolf, office manager. "We don't need that."
Another local business is trying to help angry fans express themselves by producing T-shirts bearing anti-Williams sentiments, including phrases
SEE BUSINESSES ON PAGE 8A
Chancellor denies report of applying for new job
By Lauren Airey lairey@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
With the recent firings and resignations in the Athletics Department making headlines, some members of the University of Kansas community have begun to question Chancellor Robert Hemenwav's job security.
The Board of Regents, who has the ability to fire chancellors and presidents of universities, has not considered firing the chancellor.
"Ive heard nothing of the type," Dick Carter, director of external relations for the Regents, said. "Nothing like that has even reached our office."
Hemenway was not available for comment because of
Hemenway
recent changes in the Athletics Department.
This speculation follows rumors and media reports linking Hemenway to the presidential vacancy at Indiana University.
The Indiana presidency became vacant in January when Myles Brand left the position to become president of the NCAA. Reports in The Kansas City Star had claimed that Hemenway had applied for the job and News Radio 980 KMBZ, a Kansas City area station, confirmed the presidential search committee contacted Hemenway.
The firm conducting the search for a new president at Indiana, Baker-Parker Inc., contacted about 300 possible candidates.
Hemenway, University chancellor since 1995, told the Lawrence JournalWorld that a representative from BakerParker called him two or three months ago about the position because he had been nominated by a member of the search committee, but he wasn't interested.
The chancellor told the Lawrence Journal-World he was not looking for another job and planned to retire from the University of Kansas.
The Indiana search committee had scheduled interviews yesterday, today and tomorrow in closed-door meetings at the Westin O'Hare Hotel in Chicago.
The committee will interview 10 to 12 candidates for the presidency and select five to seven finalists to meet with the full Indiana University Board of Trustees. The names of the these candidates are not yet available.
The search committee wants to hire a new president by July 1.
Edited by Julie Jantzer
Fitness center closes, leaves members seeking new club
By JJ Hensley
jhensley@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Bv.JJ Henslev
Total Fitness Athletic Center closed yesterday,leaving almost 1,000 members looking for someplace else to stay fit, according to former employees.
Former Total Fitness employees said the proverbial handwriting had been on the gym wall for weeks, prompting club members to flee and workers to abandon attempts to lure new members to the club.
"I pretty much stopped doing sales
Paul Sandburg, Paola senior and personal trainer, worked on the club's last night of business Monday. He said a few of his clients switched to Lawrence Athletic Club, 2108 W. 27th St. and 3201 Mesa Way, after a letter was issued to all members alerting them that the club's owners were looking to sell Total Fitness, 2339 Iowa St.
like a month ago or whenever that letter came out," said Jennifer Devlin, Lawrence senior and Total Fitness employee. "There were people buying memberships up until then though."
Still, some members were caught off guard by the club owners' decision to close.
"I knew they were looking for someone to buy them," said Erin Maike, Alma junior and Total Fitness member. "I never heard any details, never received any letters or phone calls or anything. I'm paid up for four months and haven't gotten any money back."
Total Fitness owner Martin Tuley could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A person who answered the phone at Total Fitness yesterday afternoon said
"I'm just here to let the cooler guys in right now and I don't want to get into that," she said.
former members had been taken care of.
How the club exactly had taken care of its members remained unclear, however.
Former Total Fitness employees said the Lawrence Athletic Club had been contacted about a membership agreement that would allow Total Fitness members to work out at LAC, but no deal could be reached before Total Fitness closed.
Total Fitness provided this type of help when Sixth Street Fitness, 2500 W. Sixth St., closed about a year ago. The gym allowed month-to-month customers from Sixth Street to continue their membership agreements at Total Fitness, Devlin said.
As of last night, Total Fitness had found no such kindred spirit. Officials at LAC, the city's only other coed gym other than Robinson Gymnasium on campus, would not return calls for comment on the issue.
6.
Edited by Julie Jantzer